The Destiny in the Mirror
by Tears of the Moon 17
Summary: Dick Grayson has kept a dangerous secret since he was six and plans on keeping it that way. But when a familiar man tells him of a deal his "parents" made and his destiny, Bruce and Young Justice start asking questions he doesn't how to answer nor wants to. All he knows that if he doesn't go back, innocent people would pay the price . . . *AU . . . Very AU*


Disclaimer- I can claim no ownership of Young Justice.

I know I should be updating "Behind Closed Doors" but my younger brother said something about that fanfic that made me of this one. -_- I wasn't even planning on publishing this yet until I realized something: I was going to have to wait until I finish my other YJ fanfics which was going to be at the end of summer (hopefully). That's when my muse starting freaking out. She ranted on and on . . . and on about how I would lose interest in this one by the time I could publish it. Of course I tried to ignore her but . . . *sigh* Anyway, I hope that you enjoy this _very_ AU (alternate universe) fanfic that's centered around, yet again, Dick's past.

Fun Fact: This is my longest prologue! I was surprised when I was done with it!

Note- This is set in season one. I haven't seen season two and probably never will. I don't like the time skip. What can I say? I was hoping that it would be like Teen Titans. But no. They shot that hope right out of the freaking sky. T-T

Note 2- Of course there's bound to be mistakes because I don't have a beta reader. Lol So please excuse them! Words begin to blur when I get lost in my writing!

**Prologue**

_Mary and John Grayson stand in the middle of a Romanian cemetery as they watch their little boy, Richard Grayson, being lowered into the cold, unforgiving ground. Their tears blend with the harsh raindrops that pound their grieving hearts as lightning blinds and thunder erupts. Mary and John don't notice the weather though. Their cries of pain and injustice could've silenced the world if released to dance upon the airwaves. _

_All they could think about was Dick._

_Dick had been so carefree, so happy and so . . . healthy. He had had such a bright future waiting for him and the brains to take him there. He could've been anything he had wanted to be and could've gone anywhere his little heart desired. He could've been a doctor and helped countless people with a smile. He could've been a teacher, sharing all that his mind contained with the minds of small children. He could've been so much._

_All he could be now was a rotting corpse._

_Mary's cries grew harder and harsher as she let that thought flit across her mind. How would she ever be able to move on? How would her husband be able to move on from losing Dick? They had only had him for mere thirteen years and most of that time had been spent in the hospital. How could thirteen years possibly be enough? Wasn't there a way to get him back for just a little longer?_

"_In a sense, yes."_

_Mary and John flinched at the unfamiliar voice, all too used to having people avoiding them. Everyone didn't know what to say or how to smooth Mary and John's pain of their son's upcoming death. So, with no other option, the entire town started to avoid them like the plague. Mary and John, preoccupied with spending Dick's last moments with him, didn't notice this as they watched their son get weaker and weaker. Now after Dick was dead, they could care even less about their old friends._

"_Who are you? I don't recognize you," John said gruffly, his throat scratchy from the tears he shed both inside and outside._

_The man was standing six feet away from them, standing behind Dick's headstone. He was wearing a trench coat and seemed to be in his sixties. His hairline was receding towards the back of his head and wrinkles that etched his face spoke of the years he had seen. He seemed fairly average and nonlethal._

_The man smiled slightly at John's words and spoke softly. "Does it really matter? Don't you want to know how to get your son back? Well, in a sense."_

_Mary, having been thinking over the man's words, suddenly spoke up. "What did you mean by 'in a sense'?"_

"_. . . There are multiple universes with countless versions of the same person with different personalities and different choices. But there is one that runs directly parallel to this one and is running seven years behind us. Here, it's the year 2006 and there it's 2000. There . . . There lies another Dick Grayson who is only six years old."_

"_You really expect us to believe that? Do not use our grief as a toy to play with!" John shouted at the man, scared to believe the man if he was merely toying with them._

_The man blinked at John's burst of anger and smiled again. "I'll have to show you then."_

_The man then shot forward, catching Mary's right arm and John's left arm in his grip and disappeared into thin air, taking the couple with him. When they reappeared, the rain disappeared and sunlight took its place. Confused, Mary and John looked around and spotted a raven-haired boy sitting at two graves not too far away._

"_What did you do?" John asked as he fought to stay upright, dizziness swarming his head._

"_I brought you to the parallel universe. It was the only way to prove to you that what I say is true."_

"_But this could still be a trick-"_

"_John," Mary said suddenly, shaking her husband's arm with impatience._

"_What?"_

_Mary pointed to the boy. "Look."_

_As John's eyes ran over the little boy, he noticed how the back of his head seemed familiar to him. The way it parted strangely and how ruffled it seemed . . . Where had he seen that style before? The answer danced along the edges of his mind, teasing him with little hints._

"_John, that's _Dick_. The man wasn't lying. There really is-"_

"_No, Mary. There is no other Dick or some other universe! The only Dick that existed died three days ago! We _lost_ him, Mary, to death and sickness and he's never coming back," John said in a rush, refusing to believe any of this for a single moment._

_After all, why let his hope grow only for it to be slaughtered moments later?_

"_No, that is most definitely Dick Grayson. I assure you of that. What will it take to convince you of that?" the man asked gently, his face bearing only honesty._

_John let his eyes land on the boy for only a moment. "Go ask the boy what his teddy bear's name is."_

_The man nodded, seemingly unaffected by John's strange request, and walked over to the small boy with John and Mary following not too far behind. Once the man reached the boy, he tapped his shoulder and spoke softly to the boy who spoke softly too._

"_Robin."_

_As the teddy bear's name reached John's ears, he felt the world disappear which let him alone in his head. That name . . . Only Dick would have named his teddy bear that, the name holding special meaning for only him. That was what Mary called him when he had been a child. It was like a childhood nickname._

"_John . . . It's really Dick," Mary whispered as tears welled up in her eyes. "But he's so small again . . . John . . ."_

"_I know," John whispered back. "To see him like this again . . . It's bittersweet."_

"_Where are his parents? Why aren't they here with him?"_

_The man, now back with Mary and John, answered Mary's question with a small frown. "They're dead. In this universe, you had decided against joining Haly's Circus and died in a plane crash. Your alternate versions wanted to spend their anniversary there. Dick stayed only because he had the flu. That was a week ago. In your universe, you decided to join the circus so you never went to Hawaii."_

"_So he's . . . alone here?" John asked slowly, unsure if he wanted to know._

"_Yes. That's why it's perfectly okay for you to take him back with you."_

"_But isn't his home here? Wouldn't taking him back with us mess with this universe's future?" John asked softly, his hands shaking from the possibility that they could have Dick back again._

_The man hesitated for a moment, looking cautious. "Yes . . . That's why you could have him for only a few years. Then he would have to come back."_

"_But we would have him, right? We could be a family again?" Mary asked quickly, her eyes wild with hope._

"_Yes . . . But you would have to give him up all over again in seven years. Could you handle that? Could you possibly even think of giving him up?"_

_Mary shared a look with John, smiling a little. "You don't understand. All we could possibly want is to have those years with Dick again. To spend the time we wasted with him, to show him we care. Of course it'll be hard but . . ."_

"_But if it means we will have him again for even just a little while, we'll do it," John finished for Mary who began to silently cry._

"_Okay then . . . If you truly wish, I'll bring him to you."_

"_We do."_

_The man smiled a knowing smile. "Then let's introduce you to him."_

_As the man watched Mary and John head towards Dick, his smile faded and was replaced with a frown. He knew he shouldn't be doing this. Merely letting Mary and John talk to the boy was going against the rules he was supposed to be upholding. If he let the boy go live with them in the other universe, it could very well change everything. _

_But seeing how Mary and John needed the boy . . . And how Dick needed them . . ._

_How could he let them suffer when there was an easy solution?_

_The man gulped as he thought of what he would have to do in just seven years. No doubt that Dick would remember this universe and wouldn't wish to return. After all, he would grow up in a world where the Justice League was made up of Batman, Superman and other heroes that were known as bad guys in his universe. Who would want to go back to a world where who he learned to trust as heroes were the bad guys? Heck, who would want to have the Joker saving your butt instead of laughing at it?_

_But the man knew that no matter how much Dick would fight, he would have to make Dick come back. Dick's destiny in this universe was too big to be left unfinished. He _had_ to come back._

_. . . The man could only hope that he would be able to convince Dick of this in seven years._

_Because if he couldn't . . ._

_This version of Earth would inevitably perish._

**A/N- **I know, I know. You hate cliffhangers but I can't help it! I've _tried_ to not write cliffhangers and guess how well that turned out? *eye roll* Anyway, I hope you enjoyed and review. This was published on 5-21-13 with the length of 1,891 words.


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